PB - 6th of June, 2016
by ahiddenbanshee
Summary: Canon Div from CA:CW - Just a 'What if in the time that Bucky escaped from Hydra he accidentally made a kid with someone? He would be a hot dad, very troubled and unsure about his dadness but still hot, still good, a good hot dad' that I drunkenly rambled about while watching Civil War about a month ago... then this happened...


The very last thing Steve expected to find crunched under the sole of his boot in Bucky's tiny Bucharest studio apartment was a crayon. He shook his head, paying it no mind as he pressed on toward the kitchen area, spying a notebook on top of the small refrigerator. But again, as he paged through the book he found his brows drawing together in confusion beneath his helmet at the sight of several pages littered in colorful scribbles, and a Smithsonian Captain America exhibit pamphlet with waxy hearts and flowers drawn around his image. At the bottom of one such coloring page he saw in neat writing from a ball point pen the initials _P.B._ and a date from just a few days ago. He had little time to speculate just what that could possibly mean when he heard Sam's voice in his ear updating him, and then sensed another body in the tiny apartment. He turned slowly, so as not to startle Bucky and questioned him gently.

Having little time seemed like the recent trend over the past year but especially over the past couple of weeks. The same could be said for surprises; when the apartment was surrounded by special forces and they began to infiltrate, Bucky was on the defensive, but as he plowed his fist through the wood paneled floor reaching for his concealed go-bag, he also shouted out in the country's tongue, " _Timp pentru a merge_ , Posie!" Over the sound of gunfire, shouting and fighting Steve stared in awe as a toddler rushed to Bucky, dropping a box of crayons as she hurried. There was no mistaking it, but Steve still could not believe it. The little girl was surprisingly calm amongst the madness around them, and again he could just make out Bucky talking to her, " _La fel cum am practicat, aminti_ _ț_ _i-v_ _ă_ _, voi g_ _ă_ _si_ _î_ _ntotdeauna_!" He chucked the backpack out the window, likely landing somewhere planned for him to pluck up later.

" _Da, Tătic_ ," the girl's small voice replied.

The shock finally wore off when Bucky took the girl into his arms and hauled her onto his back, her tiny hands secured around his neck without any hesitation as they made to exit the apartment. Steve scrambled to communicate with Sam, trying his damned best to remain calm given the new twist to the already shitty situation, "Sam, we've got a kid here."

"A what?"

Steve repeated himself as he watched Bucky burst through the front door with the girl on his back like a little backpack, "A kid!" He raced after them, following the sounds of the struggle and destruction, but never once a peep of distress from the girl.

"Please tell me you mean a goat, dude," Sam's reply came and Steve grit his teeth in frustration.

"A **child**!" he reiterated, "I think she's Bucky's, but I haven't confirmed anything yet. We've gotta get her outta here, Sam, she's gonna get hurt in the crossfire."

"Just gimme the word, pal."

As the fight progressed down the stairwell Steve kept up as best he could, preventing the deaths of his long lost brainwashed friend and his surprise little companion, as well as the authorities, as much as he could. Bucky was ruthless as he worked his way through the officers until finally he found an empty hallway and raced down it at top speed.

"Shit, Bucky, wait!" Steve called after him, running after him and muttering into his mic to Sam, "He's gonna jump to the next building, he's still got the kid on his back!"

"Yeah he sure as shit jumped. Ah, we've got another problem."

"What?" Steve reached the end of the hallway where Bucky had launched himself and the girl and peered over the edge to see Bucky and a new figure decked in black and armed with claws on the adjacent building's rooftop; Bucky was scrambling to hold his own against the stranger. He also registered movement from the other end of the rooftop, the girl running full steam as fast as her little legs could push her to reach the open doorway that led to that buildings stairwell, "Huh," Steve murmured, "Smart kid."

The fight became a chase throughout the busy streets of Bucharest. The dark mystery figure after Bucky on foot, Steve after the both of them in a pirated police vehicle, and Sam following behind and above with his wings. Eventually it ended in the middle of an underground highway, all four men surrounded by special forces and police.

Detained and putting up no fight whatsoever, Bucky was restrained into a terribly familiar chair that kept all his limbs locked down. His anxiety was building from being secured in such a manner and the fact that he was now unable to find Posie like he'd promised her. His only reassurance came in the form of a CIA Berlin task force worker informing him they caught ' **the little civilian you were harboring** ' and that a DNA test was in the process to find out who she belonged to.

Steve was outraged to learn of the little girl's treatment, although it didn't help that he and Tony had yet another falling out concerning the signing of the Accords. Yes, they considered her ' **James Barnes' hostage** ' but there was no doubt whatsoever that the girl was Bucky's daughter, she looked _just_ like him. And the fact that she was not in the same office/holding area as he, Sam and King T'Challa was unsettling to Steve. She was likely being treated as guilty by association even if she was no older than two years old. Steve had made enough of a stink about it so the girl was bought into the office/cell by Sharon who set her into a desk chair, muttering as she did, "She won't say a word. Don't know an age or name. She didn't even cry when they drew blood."

"Has she had anything to eat after the blood draw?" Steve asked, keeping his distance so as not to spook the little girl, although she apparently had no reservations about staring directly at him, unabashed and with the same exact eye shape and eye color as Bucky.

"No, I'll go grab something. Be right back," Sharon rushed away with her task.

Steve watched Sharon as she went and until she was gone from sight before he took a seat at the desk, one chair separating him from the girl. All he knew was French and some German, he was sure what Bucky had spoken to her was Romanian, and he didn't have any phrases, let alone a basic understanding of the language to communicate with her. In fact, he wasn't sure if she was old enough to put sentences together yet.

"Hmm," he hummed quietly before carefully extending his right hand out to her, "I'm Steve."

Her eyes, a perfect replica of Bucky's, blinked as she nodded and stuck her much, much smaller hand out to him, curling her little fingers around two of his to shake, "Steve Rogers," what little accent tinged her voice made his name sound exotic.

"That's right," Steve agreed, nodding along, "What's your name?"

"Posie. Barnes."

"Barnes," Steve repeated with an encouraging nod of his head once again, "So Bucky is your dad, yeah?"

Posie nodded and quietly muttered, " _Tătic_." She glanced around herself then, the first instance of removing her eyes from Steve since entering the office, " _Unde Tătic_ _?_ "

Even if he couldn't speak Romanian he knew she was asking where her father was, and before he could answer others were returning to the shared office/'cell'. Sharon placed a small package of cookies and a juice box in front of Posie, Sam waltzed in and plopped down into a chair opposite Steve, eyeing the girl as she stared resolutely up at Steve. Posie glanced between the cookies and juice then back to the Steve, a question in her eyes, imploring whether or not it was safe, as if she trusted his word above all else when her father was not present. He nodded it was okay, but when she glanced at the cookies again, she raised a small hand and pushed the package over to him, yet another imploring glance but this time it translated as needing assistance in opening the cookie package. Steve could practically feel Sam's grin from across the table when he opened the little bag and offered it back to Posie.

"Has she said anything?" Sharon asked.

"Her name's Posie. Bucky's her dad," Steve smiled at the girl when her solemn face finally changed into something sweet and grateful as she took the bag and dove her little hands in to start greedily chowing down. Sharon reached forward to unwrap the straw from the juice box and poke it into the hole, ready for the girl when she needed it. "She wants to know where her dad is," Steve added, his voice just as stern as the expression on his face.

Sharon tried to keep her face neutral but then noticed that the interview was beginning, she brought up the video and activated the audio as well on the television in the office. It showed Bucky still locked up in that box, and the called in psychologist from the U.N. seated in a desk a few yards away. Posie looked up at the sound of the psychologist saying the name "Barnes." She ceased sucking down the juice box to stare intently at the screen, stuck on the image of her father restrained in a box, stoic and sad.

The interview went on; Bucky was mostly silent until he grew tired of the psychologist calling him James. "My name is Bucky." The psychologist followed up with a leading question that would have him spilling his guts, but Bucky was just too exhausted with this already; if he was going to be locked up he at least wanted his final request taken into account about who should raise Posie in his absence.

But then something changed in the psychologist's tone, and suddenly all the power failed, bathing the room and likely the entire building and maybe the entire block in darkness.

"What the hell is this?" Bucky questioned through the emergency lights flashing and alarms blaring, but then his stomach tied up in knots at just the first word… _**Longing**_ … He begged the man to stop, the imposter psychologist, shouting out as if physically pained as he began to feel himself slipping away and the Soldier rise to the forefront of his mind. Bucky tore himself free from his restraints to batter the glass with his metal fist. If he could escape before the last word he could find Posie and Steve and run, they could all run away and live happily ever after; just like the stories he read to Posie before she slept. The reinforced glass door broke free entirely from its hinges but it was too late… _**Freight car**_ … "готовы соблюдать."

Posie whimpered at the engulfing darkness, the emergency lights that flickered red and the harsh barking alarm. Steve plucked her up from the chair, and her arms instantly circled around his neck securely, he assumed it was a learned reaction upon being picked up by Bucky – latch on or fall off. Steve glanced to Sharon, not needing words to communicate his question, and she answered "Sub-level 5, east wing!" while reaching out to take Posie from his arms. Steve and Sam rushed off to stop whatever the hell was happening with Bucky and the so-called psychologist… " _Tătic_ _!_ "

The fight and chase were cut short when the helicopter the Soldier was trying to escape in tipped over the rooftop's edge and down into the little moat surrounding the building. The area was evacuated enough for Steve to pull himself and Bucky from the water without any witnesses or enforcement officers to capture them all over again. Hauling an unconscious Bucky was a hell of a task made even more hellish given that they were both soaking wet, but luckily for him Sam was an excellent wingman. He swung up in a jalopy of a car and helped settle Bucky in the backseat. As Steve opened the front passenger side door he startled at the sight of Posie wrapped up in Sam's jacket looking positively exhausted and confused. She was scooted to the driver's seat as they arranged Bucky in the cramped backseat. "She likes you best man," Sam shrugged as they got settled in the front seat and started down a barren side road searching for a good place to lay low. All the while Posie easily climbed into Steve's lap and made herself comfortable. "And I figured," Sam went on, " _You_ were enough to disrupt the Soldier's programming, so his kid oughta be enough to rewire it instantly, like an Epi-Pen to the brain."

"Yeah," Steve murmured, looking down at the girl in his lap, swimming in Sam's jacket and leaching what warmth she could from Steve even if he was still in the process of drying out. He wrapped an arm around her to keep her secure to him as the road got a little bumpy the further they went into the shadier territory of Berlin. "Let's hope we don't have to test that theory."

Upon finding an old abandoned garage they pulled into what would be their temporary safe house. Steve checked the interior and exterior of the establishment before deeming it fine for use and tucking Posie safely away into what was likely the boss's office. While waiting for Bucky to regain consciousness and hoping it was _actually Bucky_ who came to, they arranged his left arm into a vice just in case the Soldier returned instead. Posie had fallen asleep in the boss's rolling desk chair, the waiting becoming too boring for her along with the fact she hadn't had her nap (in addition to all the craziness that had kicked off the day). She was roused only after Bucky had woken and confirmed he was himself and not still in Soldier-mode. Bucky gave all the details he could about Hydra's elite death squad still in cryostasis in Siberia, likely where the fake psychologist was headed after having asked about a specific mission report back in the 90's.

Steve plucked Posie up from the chair, removing Sam's jacket-makeshift blanket from her body as she blinked awake, face scrunching up in an endearingly familiar way as she became more and more aware of her surroundings. She began to squirm in Steve's grasp when they turned a corner and she saw Bucky.

" _Tătic_ _!_ " she called out excitedly and continued to squirm until Steve relented and bent down to let her feet touch the hard cement floor. She was off in a sprint towards Bucky who'd squatted down with arms open wide, grin on his mouth just as wide. " _Tătic_ _!_ " Posie wailed out excitedly again once she reached him and he engulfed her tiny body in his arms crushing her as close as he could with care.

" _Păpuşă_ ," he murmured against the top of her brunette little head. Steve looked on as their hair seemed to blend together with Posie burying her face in Bucky's neck and Bucky leaning into the gesture with a heartbreakingly happy smile on his mouth, eyes closed in momentary bliss.

Posie resurfaced and pulled away enough to look up to Bucky's face and proudly proclaim, " _Tătic_ _, Nu era speriat!"_

By Bucky's grin and laughing response of, " _Bine, asta-i bine._ " Steve, and Sam who had sidled up to gaze at the adorable display as well, assumed the girl had said something funny, but they wouldn't destroy the moment by imploring a translation. But then Posie's excitement seemed to fade fast, she was yawning and rubbing her eyes, head lolling forward as she relied on Bucky to keep her on her feet. Bucky tucked his right hand's fingers beneath her chin tilting her face up to him, smirking at her bleary blinking eyes, he questioned, " _Obosit_?"

She hummed in ascent and he scooped her up, tucking her comfortably against his right arm and finally looking to Steve and Sam as Posie began to nod off once again. The stoic look returned; it seemed Bucky's constant expression, Steve noted, since finding out he was alive in the 21st century as well. The only time Bucky seemed to brighten, seemed to mimic his old happy self from when Steve remembered him back in the 40's, back when he actually genuinely smiled before wartime, was when Posie was with him. Steve had always assumed Bucky would've made a fine father, if he ever settled down with a gal; but looking at him now… Steve couldn't tamp down the stirrings of what he realized was a desire to raise Posie alongside him. He felt himself blushing and cleared his throat while turning his gaze to his shoes when he couldn't maintain eye contact with Bucky a second longer. Sam, seeming to have a good sense of the situation, clapped a hand on Steve's shoulder and announced he would find the nearest pay phone to give Sharon a call; if they were going to keep on with chasing after and stopping this fake-psychologist before he wakened fresh hell upon the world they needed their gear back… and someone they could trust to keep Posie safe.

Steve and Bucky with Posie in his arms settled down in the boss's office again, Bucky taking the slightly more comfortable rolling chair and Steve taking what was probably the client chair. They were silent for a time, Steve glancing between the two Barnes and Bucky gazing down at his girl.

"I left her for five minutes," Bucky confessed with a chuckle, still staring down at Posie cradled in his right arm, she was out like a light. "I've done it a few times before…" He snickered again, "The kid loves plums. She begs for 'em. So, I told her, like I have before, draw me a picture while I'm gone and by the time you're finished with it I'll be back home with your plums…"

Steve smiled, huffing a quiet laugh through his nose, "She made herself scarce when I showed up, didn't even know she was there. Already knows the difference between your footsteps and others."

Bucky's face seemed to fall as he agreed, "Yeah… She learns quick…Can't talk a lot yet but she understands a few languages when I talk to her…"

Steve could sense the change in his tone, the worry laced in his words, so he took a detour, or rather changed lanes with the subject, "She's gorgeous, Buck, she looks just like you." He grinned when Bucky let out an amused snort. "How old is she?"

"One year and four months."

Steve could understand the concern now; she was very young, very bright, and physically adept for her age; he could already feel them swerving right back into the conversation lane that would cause Bucky's worry to spill over with the next question he was about to voice, but he had to ask, "And her mother?"

"Who knows," Bucky shrugged, "I wasn't sure if…" he paused and his metal fingers raised to trace Posie's cheek, "If somehow the serum is a part of my genetic, y'know, genetic code or somethin'. If she has it in her blood…" He twirled a lock of her hair around his shiny silver fingers, "I didn't want to leave her with someone perfectly normal who wouldn't know how to handle it. Or worse, if Hydra found out and located her and…" He didn't need to say more, couldn't say more even if he wanted to.

"Yeah…" Steve nodded, understanding completely, knowing exactly where Bucky's unspoken thoughts went. Hydra would abduct her and raise her into another Soldier, undoubtedly killing her mother without a second thought, too, that is if she had stayed with her birth mother.

"Couldn't bear the thought, so… Who better to protect her than me? Her mom's safe somewhere out there, not guilty by association, not in danger, carrying on living a normal life. It's better this way."

"Smart move."

Bucky broke into laughter, "The smart move would've been to wrap it up," his laughter ended softly and he looked back down to Posie, "But then… I wouldn't have her. She's kept me sane, kept me focused." He returned his glance to Steve, "I could see her when he said those goddamn words, I could see her screaming, crying for me. It was almost enough break control, sever the Soldier from me before he took over completely but… Sorry, I almost killed you… Again."

Bucky didn't want to voice the nightmares that plagued his mind whenever he managed to let sleep finally consume him. He didn't want Steve to shoulder the burden along with him; of all the faces he didn't remember but the Soldier did, each and every person who died by the Soldier's compliance to see his mission through. Bucky, forced to watch through the Soldier's unwavering stare as he made certain the light of life was snuffed entirely from his victims' eyes. He didn't dare voice the nightmares that followed the structure of the Soldier's memories but ended with Posie dead by his hands. How he'd wake up with a sob tearing through his throat and tears spilling from the corners of his eyes, only to find his daughter contentedly curled up beside him. Bucky didn't want to voice the nightmares, but his stoic expression gave away more than it intended.

All Steve could offer at the moment was a smile and the phrase that really said it all, "'Til the end of the line, pal."

The next day they were to meet up with Sharon for an exchange of goods. Steve could sense that Bucky was getting anxious with the idea of separating from his daughter. The time between being arrested, the soldier activated, and being reunited with Posie had been relatively short, tolerable, but this would be an indefinite amount of time spent apart since Posie was born. Steve could sense and understand his mounting fear, he peeked at the rearview mirror to see the two Barnes in the backseat; the unhappy thoughts that were likely rushing through Bucky's mind were plainly displayed on his face as he brushed his fingers through Posie's hair, his other arm holding her as close to him as comfortably possible, his scruffy cheek pressed to the top of her head as she quietly endured the car ride, blinking sleepily.

Sharon's car was situated in the shadows of an abandoned underpass, Steve parked their jalopy just a car length away. He took a breath before turning in the driver's seat to meet Bucky's gaze, "It's time, Buck."

Bucky stiffened his features into something stronger, though Steve detected a slight shine to his eyes as Bucky rearranged Posie in his arms to face him, effectively jostling the girl into a state of full consciousness. He pasted on a smile much happier than he truly felt, " _Aminti_ _ț_ _i-v_ _ă_ _c_ _ă_ _te iubesc, p_ _ă_ _pu_ _ș_ _ă_." He kept his eyes glued to hers as he leant his forehead to hers.

Her stare didn't waver either as she grinned, placing her small hands against her father's cheeks, " _Te iubesc_." Bucky's inhale shook in his throat after he chuckled. He hurriedly pressed a kiss to Posie's chubby cheek and assured her that she would be safe and he would come back for her, just color a lot of pictures until he returns.

And with her agreement Bucky passed her into Steve's hands. Even Sam could tell that little girl had more understanding of the situation and her father's emotions than a nearly one and half year old should. Sam cleared away a tightness in his throat, even if the words exchanged had been Romanian he knew exactly what had been said. "We'll be back before she knows it," he found himself reassuring the man in the backseat.

"Yeah…" Bucky answered, uncaring if he sounded unconvincing with concurrence. He had to turn his gaze away when Sharon opened up the trunk of her car, and Posie was passed into her waiting arms while Steve collected their gear.

Steve gave into the need to press a kiss to Posie's hair, muttering his own promise to return soon. Posie shared her father's stony disposition and gave Steve a small wave before Sharon tucked her safely into a promptly purchased car seat.

The wait for Posie wasn't all that long since she fell asleep immediately when Sharon began to drive them away and she slept away the rest of the day in Sharon's apartment. The exhaustion and excitement over the past two days caught up to her, and likely the sadness she wasn't (or possibly was) aware she was processing caused her to sleep away the day. When she woke the following morning Sharon looked so relieved she was misty-eyed when she prepared Posie some dry cereal and watered down apple juice. It was near noon when three rapid knocks came to Sharon's door. She was on her guard, gun drawn when she looked at the screen beside her front door that showed who was waiting on her stoop. She relaxed upon seeing not only King T'Challa's Dora Milaje but the king himself as well.

"I am here to retrieve the Barnes child. She will be under my care from now on," T'Challa more or less stated than explained, although he did wait for Sharon to allow him access to her home to collect Posie.

Sharon stepped to the side, unsure of what this meant for Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers fate, but then T'Challa's Dora Milaje was pressing an envelope into Sharon's hands and giving her a significant look that meant she should not say another word if the walls were listening.

Posie went quietly, accepting T'Challa's embrace as he plucked her up from where she was seated at the kitchen table. Sharon quickly poured an amount of cereal into a baggie and gave it to T'Challa's Dora Milaje. Posie peeked over T'Challa's shoulder and waved her farewell to Sharon. Sharon wasn't sure if it was possible, but from someone so young she felt like she was communicating her gratefulness for her care and consideration.

What followed was a luxurious plane ride from Berlin, Germany to Wakanda, Africa. "You are a well-mannered little girl, aren't you?" T'Challa spoke to Posie as if she were not a toddler. "I am sorry I tried to kill your father."

T'Challa's Dora Milaje stared mildly bewildered at her king, "Do you think she understands what you're saying?"

"Something tells me she is far more than her appearance and age."

As if in answer to both T'Challa's statements she gave a nod of her head before curling up on the plane seat. T'Challa's Dora Milaje brought over a blanket and placed it over the girl, while T'Challa found a suitable pillow to carefully prop beneath her head.

From the palace airstrip to the laboratory, Posie watched the jungle scenery pass by with avid interest; she'd never seen so much green before that wasn't from one of her crayons on paper. As soon as her father was within sight she was squirming from T'Challa's hold crying out, " _Tătic_!" A bright smile on her little mouth. T'Challa released her and she ran to her father and launched herself at him, knowing he would catch her and haul her up. Which he did, but it was then that she noticed he was with one less a limb.

" _Rănit_ ," she said and placed her hand over the covered stump of Bucky's left arm. Steve strolled over to stand nearer to the Barnes, Bucky was assuring her it didn't hurt and he was okay. When Posie registered that it was Steve standing beside them her brightness renewed and she reached out towards him. His heart stuttered in his chest, once he was close enough she touched her tiny palm to his cheek, like a welcome back, like a thank you for keeping your promise, like an I missed you too.

The rest of the day was spent by Steve and Bucky keeping Posie company, telling her the kid friendly story of how Bucky lost his arm. Steve and Posie shared crayons, drawing on numerous sheets of paper while Bucky watched on in silence, making the inevitable conversation that much harder. He wished he could remain awake, just watching Steve and Posie interact. He'd always secretly dreamt of this moment, so he supposed it was a blessing to have it at all before he went to sleep.

" _Păpuşă._ "

Both Steve and Posie looked up at the sound of Bucky's voice cracking on the moniker. Steve face fell when he realized it was time. He knew Bucky wanted him there during the talk, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to stay strong during it… or after it. He and Bucky had already discussed it before Posie's arrival, now it was the matter of making it clear to her. Bucky drew Posie onto his lap and explained that he was sick in his brain. He tried to detail it in a simple way, that there were bad men who had messed with his brain so if someone spoke the right words he wouldn't be Daddy anymore, he would become a scary soldier, and he wouldn't even recognize her or Steve or anyone, which meant he might hurt them.

"Scary," Posie repeated in English, much to Steve's surprise since Bucky was speaking solely in Romanian to her. "Hurt."

"Yeah," Bucky sighed, his voice beginning to have a quivering edge after every word, "So I've gotta go to sleep for a while until these nice people," he glanced around at the numerous Wakandan science and medical staff milling around them, "figure out how to get the bad stuff out of my head."

"Me too?" Posie inquired with such sincerity, but Bucky was unsure as to which she was referring; surely she didn't believe they would remove the bad stuff and his recognition of her from his brain? " _Dormi_?" she reiterated and reverted back to Romanian, asking if she was going to go to sleep as well. Until a week ago, Bucky was all she had ever known; there were street vendors she'd seen semi regularly but otherwise it was just her and Bucky, they did everything together, so of course the simple and seemingly harmless idea of _going to sleep_ lead her to believe she could follow him once again, that they were back in their routine.

Bucky felt his throat close on a hard lump as he shook his head, taking note that Steve was looking away now and raising a hand to his face, likely wiping away tears. "No, doll. You can't go to sleep with Daddy. Not this time. I need you to… To stay with Steve, okay? He's going to take care of you until it's okay for me to wake up again and…" Steve had turned back then, his face was free of moisture, but his eyes and nose had a rosy tinge. "And we'll both take care of you, okay? _În_ _ț_ _elegi? P_ _ă_ _pu_ _ș_ _ă_?"

"Yes…" The intelligence in her young eyes was jarring, Bucky felt his eyes filling with tears he could no longer contain. Hot tears spilled down his cheeks and he felt tiny hands instantly pushing them away, " _Nu speriat_." Posie whispered and pressed her forehead to Bucky's, and yet another flow of fresh tears spilled as he held his little girl close.

"Be good for Steve, okay?" Bucky sniffled loudly.

Posie nodded and after a moment she mumbled, " _T_ _e iubesc_."

Bucky smiled, tears ceasing their flow, he responded, " _Si eu te iubesc_."

It was much harder for Bucky to pass Posie to Steve this time, though it should've been much easier. He knew he would waken again one day, Steve would keep his… their daughter safe in the meantime, he had no doubt about that. But as he was settled into the stasis chamber, seeing the two people that kept him sane, kept him **Bucky** , both of them looking on at him so sadly though they tried to display encouragement, he almost didn't want to go to sleep. It was the right thing to do, he knew it. When he woke again he'd be fixed properly, he and Steve could properly raise Posie without any fear of Hydra's brainwashing taking over ever again.

Bucky's eyes fluttered closed peacefully and he succumbed to a dreamless slumber. Steve glanced down to the girl in his arms, she was sniffling softly, rubbing the backs of her wrists against the wetness accumulating on her face. "No scare," she mumbled.

Steve smiled and took one of her little hands into his, prompting her to look at him. "You have a lot of love in your heart if you feel sad, which is good. And it's okay to be scared, it means you're about to do something brave." She nodded, staring up at him with wide watery eyes. "You wanna cry some more you can, it's alright," he encouraged gently.

"No…"

.

.

Posie's English vocabulary seemed to expand every day once fully in Steve's care. In fact, while they were given temporary accommodations per King T'Challa, she had picked up a few words in Wakandan. Steve was insistent that Posie make a video diary every week while Bucky was in stasis, explaining that when he came back he would be able to see Posie growing up like he never missed it at all.

Living with Steve on the run was like living with Bucky, so Posie was used to it; although there was much more company now with Steve having sprung the captured Avengers from the Raft.

It was sometime after her second birthday when she explained to Steve, " _You're_ Daddy. _Tătic_ is _Tătic_." Steve's heart nearly exploded out of his chest and Natasha, in whose lap Posie was perched when she made that declaration, made a show of pointing that out via a huge smug grin on her face.

Each month that passed Steve hoped that the cure to reversing Hydra brainwashing would be discovered and Bucky could return to them. Not because Posie was a handful that he couldn't handle, but it was shared time that he was missing raising his… **their** daughter. But at any time Steve seemed a little down just thinking of Bucky, like she could sense it Posie was there to reassure him that _Tătic_ was safe and soon his brain would be fixed, they just needed to be patient…

Posie would almost be four years old when a great, ugly, arrogant purple alien threat came to Earth with the intent of destroying it – once again rallying the Avengers in their entirety to rush to the call to save it. Regardless of cures Bucky needed to be roused. It wasn't the most ideal of circumstances, but it would be good to be a family once again… if only for a short while.

.

.

.

.

I forget the specific term for it, but I also posted this story on my AO3 account.

 _So I did use google translate for the Romanian and Russian. Singing songs in different languages without any mistakes is one thing but actually knowing and communicating different languages? Cannot do. I wish I could do but 3 years of Spanish class tell me I am not smart enough._

 _Timp pentru a merge – Time to go_

 _La fel cum am practicat, aminti_ _ț_ _i-v_ _ă_ _, voi g_ _ă_ _si_ _î_ _ntotdeauna! - Just like we practiced, remember, I will always find you!_

 _Da, Tătic - Yes, Dad_

 _Unde Tătic? - Where Dad?_

 _Păpuşă – Doll_

 _Nu speriat – I not scared_

 _Bine, asta-i bine – Good, that's good_

 _Obosit – Tired?_

 _Aminti_ _ț_ _i-v_ _ă_ _c_ _ă_ _te iubesc, p_ _ă_ _pu_ _ș_ _ă – Remember that I love you, doll_

 _Te iubesc – I love you_

 _Rănit – Hurt_

 _Dormi? – Sleep?_

 _În_ _ț_ _elegi? – Understand?_

 _Si eu te iubesc – I love you too_


End file.
